The Montenegrin major ruling party agreed on Monday to accept
the proposal from the European Union about the Balkan republic's
independence referendum.
The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leadership accepted
Brussels' proposal, although in question are "non-standardized
recommendations unknown in practice," DPS spokesman Predrag Sekulic
told the media in Podgorica.
The EU package, which was presented by EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak
on Feb. 16, contains the proposal that the decision on the state
status should be valid if it is backed by 55 percent of valid
votes, that the referendum is held on May 14 and that only one
question is asked.
Earlier on Monday, the EU foreign ministers voiced support to
the EU package proposed by Lajcak on Montenegro's independence
referendum.
Montenegro is a republic in the loose union of
Serbia-Montenegro. Its ruling coalition has been advocating a
referendum by late April this year to decide whether the republic
splits from its much larger sister republic of Serbia.
The republic remains divided between pro-independence ruling
coalition and pro-Serbian opposition. EU envoy Lajcak has been
mediating between the two sides in a bid to reach consensus on
referendum.
Sekulic said that his party welcomed the decision of the
Montenegrin opposition to take part in the referendum process.
All four Montenegrin opposition parties, which urge a joint
state with Serbia, have agreed to the EU proposal on the
referendum.
The Montenegrin parliament will debate the referendum issue
tomorrow.
(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2006)
